Coca Cola

[Martinsnos]

Well I’m blowed.
I used to wonder why pros who put so much effort into their art would drink Coca Cola mid-race because of its diuretic effect and also because the sugar content is too high (for effective absorption).
However, having done a bit of reading I saw that the diuretic effect is not believed to be significant.
Just now I took the trouble to look up the sugar content and at 10.5g per 100ml it’s a bit high (8% is a good solution I believe) but it isn’t terribly high.
So, happy to be corrected, my loathing of Coca Cola is perhaps not fair (at least for cyclists anyway!!!).

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

The component sugar, sucrose is digested rapidly but has a low GI due to the component fructose, so doesn't have as much of an effect on blood glucose levels

 

[sleuthey]

I buy it and drink it before cycling to work. Wakes me up and energises me. I only find Pepsi Max has a diuretic effect with me. Shame about the sugar tax when it’s used to fuel cycling.

 

[Jimidh]

I used to drinks lots of the stuff at work and decided to stop and managed about two months.

Then someone bought me one at lunch not realising I had stopped. Out of politeness I drank it - bloody horrible stuff. Haven’t touched it for more than 10 years now.

 

[fossyant]

It fixed 3 of us up a month or so ago, when we'd been MTB'ing for 4-5 hours and had gone through 2-3 litres of water each. A quick can, and we motored home. Much needed fuel.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

It is my fuel of choice if I'm struggling on a long ride.

 

[Soltydog]

It is my fuel of choice if I'm struggling on a long ride.

Only time I ever drink the stuff is on long rides, often refil bottles with a coke & water mix

 

[Tripster]

Never drink the stuff or any other fizzy pop. Lad I sometimes work with drinks 3 of those small bottles everyday plus a can at evening meal.
jittery, hyper active bugger. Swear its that cola stuff🥴
Mind have seen how well it cleans toilets so often wonder what it does to your gut

 

[DRM]

Have used a can of sugary coca cola after battling a swirling head wind for a 36 mile loop, just enough of a boost to get home

 

[CanucksTraveller]

In every day life it's not a healthy substance to be imbibing regularly, clearly, whether you're a tour pro or a couch potato. But it can definitely be a super pick me up when you're drained of energy and need a fast boost. The pros have known this for a long time. So have all of the tourists that have stopped at a garage later into the afternoon on a longish day with the campsite just 9 more miles to go.

It's also good for a hangover. As Superhans once said of a wasted friend... "Can of Coke and a ciggy and he'll be right as rain".

 

[DRM]

In every day life it's not a healthy substance to be imbibing regularly, clearly, whether you're a tour pro or a couch potato. But it can definitely be a super pick me up when you're drained of energy and need a fast boost. The pros have known this for a long time. So have all of the tourists that have stopped at a garage later into the afternoon on a longish day with the campsite just 9 more miles to go.

It's also good for a hangover. As Superhans once said of a wasted friend... "Can of Coke and a ciggy and he'll be right as rain".

Exactly, I normally wouldn’t touch the stuff, but with 2 empty bidons and knowing that I was really starting to flag, with a long drag of an ascent in the wind to get home, it was the right pick me up at the right time.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm another person who uses Coke for a boost when flagging towards the end of a long hard ride.

Off the bike I rarely touch it. I only go to the pub 2 or 3 times a year in recent (pre-Covid) times and when I do I drink Coke or Pepsi (having given up booze when I got very ill in 2012). The stupid thing is - I feel almost as rough the morning after drinking 3 pints of Coke as I would have done from drinking 4 or 5 pints of beer!

 

[MntnMan62]

I've pretty much cut out sodas from my diet entirely. The only carbonated things I'll drink are seltzer water, beer, an occassional White Claw and some Champagne if someone is making a toast. However, when I was drinking sodas, Coca Cola was my favorite. I don't like Pepsi. Orange sodas like Crush are good as well as root beer. But I'm drinking any of them anymore.

 

[Milkfloat]

I have used Coca Cola to try and recover or prevent a 'bonk' and it seems to work. I also used to drink it after kayaking or open water swimming to prevent an upset stomach from the water, but I read some evidence that it does not actually work but vinegar, olive oil and alcohol do, so now have fish n' chips and a few pints

 

[cyberknight]

It is my fuel of choice if I'm struggling on a long ride.

remember my second century, 1st century ride at the club and we had a coke break with 15 miles to go as everyone was on there knees and it perked us up enough to get home.